


if we lay a strong enough foundation

by 26stars



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AoS ficnet Spring Fling Exchange, Gen, It's platonic I promise, Prank Wars, Season 2 Era, Slice of Life, Sparring, Training room banter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-03-01 01:07:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18789928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/26stars/pseuds/26stars
Summary: We’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to youAnd you’ll blow us all awaySetting each other on solid ground, one morning at a time





	if we lay a strong enough foundation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [agentmmayy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentmmayy/gifts).



> Hi Ness, it's me, your fic exchange buddy! Thank you for letting me tumble back into my favorite era and pairing, and for the fun prompt! I hope you enjoy :)
> 
> (Also forgive me for the shameless Hamilton lyrics in the title)

Skye stifled a yawn as she hopped down the dim, bricked hall in direction of the training room, still pulling on her other tennis shoe over a pilfered sock and managing not to fall on her face as she did. The bunk doors on both sides were still firmly shut, most of the other women likely still enjoying final hours of rest in the pre-dawn hours. In the silent kitchen, she filled her water bottle and snatched an oatmeal square from the basket on the counter, forcing down a large bite as she resumed her path to the training room and trying to chew as quickly as possible. As she rounded the last corner, Skye shook her arms out and rolled her shoulders, trying to kick-start her energy for the training ahead—she needed any advantage she could get.

May, of course, was already set up in the training room as Skye entered, looking annoyingly bright-eyed for the hour.

“Morning,” Skye mumbled before shoving the last of her breakfast in her mouth as she went to set her water bottle against the wall.

“With me,” May said unnecessarily in response, and Skye automatically took up her place an arm’s length from May on the padded floor. Without needing to be told, she closed her eyes, feeling the ground beneath her feet and letting herself become aware of the space around her.

“Ready?” May said at her elbow after a few silent seconds, and Skye opened her eyes to glance at her and nod.

May nodded back and faced forward again, lifting her arms in the first cycle, and Skye’s arms rose to follow her.

The motions came naturally these days, a sequence as natural as riding a bicycle, a drawn-out series of movement that was far too slow to ever be called a dance but had all the rhythm and intentionality of one. Skye had only tried her hand at yoga once in the past, but tai chi was apples to its oranges. Less about strength and flexibility, more about self and spatial awareness and bodily control. Rather than emptying her mind, it was about expanding her consciousness of everything around and within her.

Though her movements and breaths were never out of sync with May’s, Skye was unsurprised when her S.O. broke the silence.

“You had that dream again.”

Skye didn’t acknowledge her comment for a moment, following May’s continued movements with extra effort, since now she was pushing past all the images and feelings those words called up.

“Don’t push them down. Let yourself see, let yourself feel. Get to know it better.”

Annoyed, Skye held herself back from huffing, clenching her jaw.

“He doesn’t deserve that kind of real estate in my head.”

May’s tone never changed. “I agree. But he’s got it, and you’d better be charging him max rent.”

Skye felt the woman’s eyes on her as their movements made her S.O. turn towards her, so she didn’t bother to hide the small shiver that flickered down her spine as she cracked the door on the memory of her recurring dream.

_Blood across the floor leading down the darkened hallways. Her teammates’ bodies, throats mangled and oozing like Eric’s, dots on a map leading her towards Vault D. The bile rising in her throat as she stumbled over the slick concrete, afraid to go further but knowing the delay would only mean a higher body count…_

“Don’t get lost in there—stay present…” May reminded her quietly from her elbow.

 _He will never hurt them again. He will never hurt me again,_ Skye recited to herself like a mantra. _He’s locked up and won’t ever be getting out. He lost…_

The rage and betrayal lodged in her gut since that day back in the Providence base had gradually reshaped throughout the past few months, slowly feeling less like meteors and more like bricks, something Skye could build on. She breathed through it and followed May’s lead, waiting until her S.O. sounded satisfied and willing to move on to the rest of their training regimen. A few laps down the hall and around the hangar to get the blood flowing, close combat drills with the bag, strength training at the weights followed by focused practice on getting out of holds, and then finally sparring. By the end of the ninety minutes Skye was tired, but also awake and ready to take on the day.

But first, she had to take on the Cavalry.

Her goal in this time was never to beat May—that she wouldn’t yet be able to beat a woman with over twenty more years’ experience than her was simply a given. The purpose of this time was simply practice, something May reminded her of every time they strapped on their gloves. Knowing that May was always holding back should have been comforting, but it occasionally crossed Skye’s mind when she dodged one of May’s blows that if the woman wanted to, she could likely kill Skye within three moves.

 _But she wouldn’t,_ Skye tells herself one more time, another layer of brick on the foundation she smoothed out this morning. _She would never hurt you like he did—she will always be on your side._

Today, it was clear that May wanted her to put into practice the moves they’d focused on this morning—getting out of holds. Skye did all right with the first two or three, but then on the fourth, one where May had dragged her down and landed on top of her, Skye fumbled, unable to hook her leg up over May’s neck or shoulder.

“Looks like we need to work on flexibility this week, too,” May observed as she scooted back and caught Skye’s foot, pressing her leg up slightly further and stretching a hamstring muscle that certainly didn’t have much give left in it. Skye groaned, trying to roll away, but May held on and also took that moment to comment on the other thing that Skye had only hoped May wouldn’t notice all morning.

“And you’ve started stealing my socks now, too?” 

Unwilling to meet May’s eyes but determined to stand up for herself, Skye gave a determined lunge and twisted free of May’s grip, rolling away and scrambling to her feet.

“I forgot to do laundry last night,” she attempts with a shrug, before rushing May again.

Though she would have been justified to do so, May didn’t use this as excuse to “forget” to pull one of her punches, but she did use a move Skye hadn’t seen before to send her crashing to the mats again.

With the wind knocked out of her, Skye took several seconds to catch her breath before tapping the ground weakly and praying for a little pity. Thankfully, her S.O. only stepped over and offered a hand to help Skye up.

“Head to the hangar. Two more laps and you’re done for the day.”

May didn’t follow her, so Skye ran the laps at a relaxed pace, and by the time she got back to the locker room, May was already out of sight. Opening her locker to grab her clean clothes and towel, Skye yelped when the first things she touched were a pair of damp, freshly worn socks.

 _You can wear these tomorrow,_ the scrap of note sticking out of one reads, and Skye _almost_ smiles as she shoves the socks in her laundry bag.

She _does_ return all of May’s socks eventually, of course.

She tapes every one individually to the ceiling of May’s bedroom.


End file.
